Payton Slams 'Embarrassing' Mocks After Broncos Draft CB Barron

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton famously proclaimed last year that "I have two middle fingers and gotten better with age not using them."

The 61-year-old, however, flipped a metaphorical bird after the Broncos selected Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron with the 20th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, deriding the mocksters' now-debunked predictions as "embarrassing but entertaining."

“When you get into these spots that are pass rushers, corners, even offensive linemen, quarterback… You look at this year’s draft, we felt like it was a thin year at some of the defensive backs positions," Payton explained to reporters Thursday night. "We watched film for the better part of three hours today, [saying], ‘If we get this player offensively, all right, great. If we don’t, here’s a clump, here’s a clump, here’s a clump.’ There’s depth in some other positions. There’s depth at running back. So managing it and looking at the grade… There were probably six picks we had to get past as he sat there. I think it was value but also knowing what the next few days present relative to the other positions. The mocks that you guys read for the last month, what do you want me to say? It’s embarrassing sometimes, but it’s entertaining.”

Broncos general manager George Paton, sitting aside Payton during their post-first-round press conference, allowed: "But we read [the mocks]."

"Some of them. Not all of them," a smiling Payton corrected.

Both national and local predictions read nearly identical in the run-up to Day 1 of the Draft. The Broncos were speculated to move up, they were rumored to move down, and there was a belief they'd simply pick at No. 20. But each scenario resulted in an offensive player, such as a running back or wide receiver, arriving to the Mile High City.

Instead, the Broncos nabbed one of the top defenders in this year's class -- a swiss-army knife in the secondary -- to pair with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II, making a strength that much stronger. Rather than reaching for a need, the collective brain trust stuck to their board and took the best player available.

“We weren’t expecting him to be there," Paton revealed. "He was pretty high up on our board. What we liked about him is [that] he’s a playmaker. He’s a football player. He’s a fun watch. I did him during the season, then after the season, Sean and I watched him last week, but we just couldn’t stop watching him. Just the instincts and participation, route awareness, zone coverage, really sticking to [his] man, doesn’t give up any completions. I don’t think he gave up a touchdown; we kept looking. Ball skills in the run game, this guy’s really good in the run game, a really good tackler, really good blitzer. He plays all over the field. This guy’s got really good football intelligence. He just kind of fits everything we’re looking for in a player. Talk about versatility, football intelligence, play-making ability. He’s just going to add to a good defense. We’re excited to have him.”

While Paton again admitted the Broncos will nab a RB at some point, it's obvious the front office won't do so merely to satisfy a craven media or impatient fan base, and aren't afraid to bypass a prospect whom the aforementioned believe is too good to resist.